Dr. Stephen Thompson was a member of the LDS church and a qualified Egyptologist. He received his Bachelors of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from Brigham Young University in 1984. He received his Masters of Arts and his Doctor of Philosophy in Egyptology from Brown University in 1988 and 1991, respectively.
This article looks at the Joseph Smith Papyri and the text of the book of Abraham from the perspective of modern Egyptological understanding - comparing Joseph Smith's own translations with the original figures. An analysis of the motifs and their Egyptian cultural and religious significance is also performed.